Vietnamese french war

A Vietnamese adopted by a French couple 23 years ago had the opportunity to reconnect with her biological family in southern Vietnam after having her story published in T uoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

Amandine Durand, a 23-year-old Vietnamese – French adoptee, on Wednesday burst into tears when she suddenly hit with the realization of a lifetime: she had found her biological family.

The journey for tracing root

“Last week a beautiful article was published in Tuoi Tre Newspaper about my story, how I ended at Go Vap orphanage, my life in France and abroad, and the reason why I came back in[sic] Vietnam. I was looking for my biological family, maybe still[sic] a tiny chance to find them,” Amandine wrote on her Facebook.

“I have such great news to announce today, I finally found [my family], where I am from. I already had a big family in France, now the family is huge, there is no word who can express how I feel. This week was incredible,” she added [sic].

Tuoi Tre had the honor to follow Amandine as she set out to trace her personal history.

Amandine Durand shares her story at the talk titled “Helping Vietnamese Adoptees Trace Their Roots” held by Tuoi Tre Newspaper on July 12, 2018 in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre

On July 12, Tuoi Tre published Amandine’s adoption story in its Vietnamese print edition as part of its “Helping Vietnamese Adoptees Trace Their Roots” program.

Within hours of its publication, the story had spread throughout the country and Tuoi Tre became inundated with phone calls from people claiming to know Amandine’s birth mother, Do Thi Chiem, a resident in Ngai Giao Town, Chau Duc District, in the coastal province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau.

When Tuoi Tre told Amandine the news, the young woman reacted with understandable wariness, though it was clear she was eager to follow the lead.

The only way to find the truth, after all, would be to visit Ngai Giao.

Amandine and Tuoi Tre set out from Ho Chi Minh City to Ba Ria – Vung Tau at 5:00 am on July 14, passing from the busy highways of Saigon onto the twisting back roads near Ngai Giao where Chiem, now in her mid-60s, is cared for by relatives.

When Amandine arrived at the house, relatives and neighbors were eager to fill in the empty spaces of her story.

The story of baby La

According to neighbors, Chiem grew up in a poor area of the province and eventually married a local man, with whom she bore five children.

Shortly after the fifth child, the husband passed away.

Chiem married for a second time and soon had another daughter, Doan Thi Lua, now 25.

Two years later, at the age of 43, she was pregnant once again. In the six month of her pregnancy, however, her old age and harsh living conditions contributed to an obstetrical hemorrhage and she was transferred to Tu Du Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.

Doan Thi La was born premature, weighing only 1.56kg and needing to spend her first few days of life in an incubator.

“I was weak and did not have money. People around said that our daughter could die if we brought her home to live our difficult life,” Chiem recalled.

Do Thi Chiem (2nd from R) kisses Amandine when they meet on July 14, 2018 in the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau. Photo: Tuoi Tre

An infertile couple asked to adopt the baby and, choking back tears, Chiem agreed, hoping it would save her daughter’s life.

She received VND1 million and a bunch of old clothes in return.

The couple ended up leaving the baby at the hospital.

She was then taken to the Go Vap Orphanage where she eventually met her French adoptive parents.

When Chiem and her family got back to their hometown, they told their neighbors that the baby suffered a premature death.

However, the yearning for his daughter tore at Amandine’s biological father’s heart.

After that telling his family the truth, he spent much of his life talking about his baby with regret until he died in April 2018 from cardiovascular disease.

When the people of Ngai Giao read Amandine’s story in Tuoi Tre , they knew the details were too similar to be mere coincidence.

Amandine listened intently as Tuoi Tre reporters carefully translated the story, trying to make sense of her life and trying to find a link to these strangers who were her family.

When Chiem and Lua tried to hug her, she pulled away.

Chiem and Lua both agreed to a DNA test and samples of Chiem’s hair and nails were brought to a lab in Ho Chi Minh City for testing.

As Amandine left the house that day, her face was calm and betrayed no emotion.

Her mother and sister were in tears.

The picture of the father

Before leaving Ngai Giao, Tuoi Tre and Amandine visited the house where Chiem and her husband used to live.

Amandine burst into tears when she saw the picture of her father on a small altar in the house, realizing the similarities between his face and hers.

“I am late, dad,” Amandine said while shedding tears and reaching to hug Chiem and Lua.

Amandine (L) is seen crying in a picture taken during her visit to meet Do Thi Chiem and Doan Thi Lua (R) on July 14, 2018 in the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau. Photo: Tuoi Tre

“She is my little sister,” Lua said in tears. “My father kept talking about La in months before he passed away.”

Before leaving the place, Amandine gave a necklace to “her sister” with a promise to return.

After four days of waiting, Tuoi Tre and Amandine received unsurprising news from the DNA test – a matching result confirming that Chiem is Amandine’s biological mother.

Amandine couldn’t help but share her news with the world.

“If I could be honest, here and right[sic] now everything is going to change. All the pain I had is gone and all my questions are finally answered,” Amandine spread the happy news on her Facebook.

“It’s a miracle I was born premature [with only] a 20 percent chance to survive.  Here I am and after a week I found my family. I’m just so thankful for the situation and am the luckiest woman in the world.  Two families, two amazing countries, two beautiful cultures,” she happily shared. Her dreams had come true.

A special exhibition of two collections of áo dài (Vietnamese traditional dress) by renowned designers will open at the Áo Dài Museum in Long Thuận Garden, District 9, on Monday. It is part of the city’s cultural activities to celebrate Áo Dài Week 2021 launched by Việt Nam Women Union. (Photo courtesy of the organiser)

HCM CITY — A series of cultural activities celebrating Áo Dài Week 2021 will be organised this weekend in HCM City to celebrate International Women’s Day (March 8).

A special exhibition of two collections of áo dài (Vietnamese traditional dress) by renowned designers will open at the Áo Dài Museum in Long Thuận Garden in District 9 on Sunday.

It includes áo dài owned by outstanding women working in politics, culture and arts, such as Dr Trjnh Thị Hoà, former director of the HCM City History Museum, and veteran soldier Đặng Hồng Nhựt, who have encouraged young women to study and develop their careers as well as live more independently.

The musuem displays áo dài owned by Nguyễn Thị Định, the first woman major general to serve in the Việt Nam People’s Army, former vice State president Nguyễn Thị Bình, and HCM City’s well-known c ả i lương ( reformed opera) artists, including Kim Cương and Bạch Tuyết.

The Việt Nam Women Union, organiser of Áo Dài Week 2021, encourages women to wear áo dài during March to show the charm and elegant beauty of the clothes. Photo courtesy of the organiser

A photo exhibition featuring Vietnamese women in áo dài will also be organised. Vietnamese culture and lifestyles are also captured through the lenses of artists.

The two exhibitions will open at 206/19/30 Long Thuận Street and will close at the end of the month.

The museum’s owner, fashion designer Sĩ Hoàng, said Áo Dài Week 2021 promotes traditional cultural identity and the image of Vietnamese women.

Hoàng spent 12 years to establish the museum thanks to his love for the traditional attire. “The long robes have aesthetic, historic and cultural value,” he said.

A series of cultural activities will be organised nationwide on Sunday (March 7) to celebrate Áo Dài Week 2021 (Photo courtesy of the organiser)

The Việt Nam Women’s Union, organiser of Áo Dài Week 2021, encourages women to wear áo dài during March to show the charm and elegant beauty of the dress.

In Hà Nội, the union and Museum of Vietnamese Women have worked together to open a photo exhibition of 358 images featuring Vietnamese women, their place and contributions to the country.

Highlighted works portray women and their heroic activities in the anti-French and American wars. The photos were captured by veteran artist Đinh Quang Thành, who worked for the Vietnam News Agency. — VNS

Former Deputy Minister of Transport Lã Ngọc Khuê. Photo laodong.vn

Former Deputy Minister of Transport Lã Ngọc Khuê spoke to Lao động (Labour) newspaper about the feasibility of options to develop a North-South high-speed railway in Việt Nam.

The Ministry of Transport has submitted a pre-feasibility study for the North-South high-speed railway project to Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc. According to the option proposed by the ministry, the railway would have a designed speed of up to 350km per hour and a practical speed of 320km per hour. The railway would be for carrying passengers only. What do you think about this?

I don’t think this option is technically and economically feasible, plus it could pose risks to the North-South high-speed railway project.

First of all, in terms of economics or investment efficiency, the transport ministry proposed the project with a total investment of about US$60 billion – a huge investment. The project will take a long time, which makes it subject to inflation, leading to additional investment. The increased investment will cause difficulties for the State budget.

Moreover, it’s difficult to make use of the full capacity of the designed railway. According to the transport ministry’s pre-feasibility study, once in operation, just 15 per cent of the railway’s capacity will be used in the 2030s. After 2050, about 40 per cent of its capacity is used.

With five pairs of North-South trains running daily, Việt Nam’s railway sometimes does not have enough passengers to fill the trains.

The high-speed railway could transport more passengers with 50 pairs of trains which depart every 30 minutes. So, how can it attract enough passengers to fill the trains? With 50 pairs of trains, just one-third of the railway’s capacity is used.

Meanwhile, under the transport minister’s option, up to 140-150 pairs of trains could run on the railway daily and they are solely passenger trains, not for goods transportation. It will be a huge waste.

In terms of investment, Việt Nam is also making efforts to attract private investors to railway projects. However, investment in railway projects are usually big and it will take time for investors to get back their investment. In current situations, in railway projects, the Government is usually responsible for developing infrastructure and private enterprises join bidding to provide trains and operate the trains. This scenario will be realised if Vietnamese enterprises have the ability to access and master technologies relating to making and operating trains.

When it comes to high-speed trains, Vietnamese enterprises are now unable to master the technologies, so they will not be eligible for joining bids.

Another disadvantage of the option is the unfeasible operation of the high-speed railway. To reach the speed of 320km per hour, the trains need to speed up gradually for the first 25km and to stop they also need to slow down for the last 25km. So, if two stops are just about 50km like Ngọc Hồi – Phủ Lý, Phủ Lý – Nam Định, Nam Định – Ninh Bình, Ninh Bình – Thanh Hoá, Vinh – Hà Tĩnh, Thừa Thiên-Huế – Đà Nẵng, Đà Nẵng -Tam Kỳ or Tam Kỳ – Quảng Ngãi, the trains run at high speed for short distances – more or less 30km in just about 10 minutes.

A German railway expert said that high-speed trains in the country ran only on routes with a length of about 150km.

If so, in Việt Nam, along the North-South axis, there are only four routes with lengths of about 130km, namely Thanh Hoá – Vinh, Hà Tĩnh – Đồng Hới, Quảng Ngãi – Diêu Trì and Tháp Tràm – Phan Thiết.

The North-South high-speed trains, under the transport ministry’s proposal, will run through 21 localities with 20 stops, meaning that they will run at lower speed on about 500km to get a start and stop. Meanwhile, the total length of the North-South high-speed railway is projected to be 1,500km. The high-speed trains, thus, could not run at their designed speed for one-third of their trips. Everyone can see that waste.

Some people propose that the trains should stop in major destinations like Hà Nội, Thanh Hoá, Vinh, Thừa Thiên-Huế, Đà Nẵng, Nha Trang or HCM City. If so, the North-South railway will fail to meet one of the project’s goals – helping to activate the socio-economic development along the backbone of Việt Nam. Notably, skipping stops may pose the railway a high risk of not collecting enough passengers.

Last but not least, the high-speed railway is the advancement that few countries in the world, mainly major developed ones like Japan, France, Germany and China, have mastered relevant technologies. So, investing in high-speed rail means that Việt Nam will heavily rely on foreign partners in equipment and vehicle supply for railway construction as well as the whole project’s life. Vietnamese enterprises would not join the game except becoming sub-contractors who provide cheap labour.

What about a proposal by the Ministry of Planning and Investment in which the high-speed railway will allow a maximum speed of 200km per hour and be used for both passenger and goods transportation?

I think it is a reasonable option. It is a kind of modern railway that is popular all over the world with not too high technical standards and operating technologies. So, Vietnamese enterprises could access and master them, which would help reduce total investment and operation costs, ensuring economic efficiency during the project’s life.

Besides the demand for passenger transportation, the demand for goods transportation along the North-South axis is also high. At present, logistics costs are equal to 20 per cent of Việt Nam’s GDP, which pushes prices of products and reduces its economic competitiveness. Railway plays an important role in reducing logistics costs as it can deal with a high volume of goods at low transportation costs.

What is the role of the North-South high-speed railway in the development of Việt Nam’s railway system?

It’s necessary to confirm that developing a North-South high-speed railway with an operating speed of 160-200km per hour and for both passenger and goods transportation is not meant to lower its role in the national railway system. On the contrary, such a railway would help affirm and pave the way for the railway system to fulfil its functions.

According to Article 5 of the Law on Railway, the railway is expected to become a key transportation sector of Việt Nam’s economy. On October 28, 2020, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc pointed out that the North-South high-speed railway must be the backbone of the national railway system.

To meet his expectation, the North-South high-speed railway must be “a door” that opens and connects other railways as well as future ones.

If the North-South high-speed railway is next to the outdated 1-metre-gauge railway, it will fail to connect with the railways in the north which shifted to the standard 1.435-metre gauge. It will also fail to connect with modern projected railways toward the western part of the Mekong Delta region.

If the three railway systems are not linked to each other, a national railway system could not be formed, so, it’s difficult for us to expect the railway sector to become a key transportation means in the future. VNS

Workers operate machines at a steel mill in northern Việt Nam. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Fifteen types of export commodities will be put under strict scrutiny by Vietnamese customs authorities starting this year as part of a campaign to fight origin fraud, illegal transhipment and unfair trade practices, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

The general department said the campaign would play an important role in helping Vietnamese firms avoid potential trade protective measures and in protecting their rights and interests.

For the campaign, it has proposed a list of commodities including wood and wood furniture, sporting equipment, interior decorative items, steel products, electronics, solar battery, tires, footwear and handbags among others.

The department will continue scanning for other commodities with high-risk of origin fraud, illegal transhipment and unfair trade practices, which may soon be added to the list.

It has instructed its branch offices across the country to conduct additional investigations and issue severe fines to violators.

A major focus of the campaign is to monitor exports to markets like the US, the EU and India, which have seen rapid development in recent years. Investigators will look into products that are assembled and processed in Viêt Nam with almost all their raw materials brought in from abroad.

Firms established since 2018 that have reported abnormally high export volume within a short period of time or abnormally high production volume compared to their infrastructure should expect greater scrutiny as the campaign moves on.

In a recent report, the general department said it issued fines to the tune of VND77 billion (US$3.3 million) last year for origin fraud, illegal transhipment and intellectual property rights violations. More than 100 firms were investigated with 43 origin fraud cases brought to light.

Product origin remains a thorny issue between Việt Nam and a number of its major export markets including the US, which has been calling on the Southeast Asian country to step up its effort to combat origin fraud.

In December 2019, the US Department of Commerce (DOC) slapped duties of up to 456 per cent on a number of steel products from Việt Nam including corrosion-resistant steel and cold-rolled steel with South Korean or Taiwanese origin, which had allegedly circumvented US anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties, according to the department.

The DOC said it had observed a sharp increase in shipments of corrosion-resistant steel (332 per cent) and cold-rolled steel (916 per cent) from Việt Nam from 2016-19 compared to previous years since the US started imposing duties on South Korean and Taiwanese steel products in December 2015 and February 2016.

The heavy duties imposed by the US has seen Vietnamese steel export to the world’s largest economy drop to just more than $3.49 billion, a 9 per cent decrease from the same period the previous year. — VNS

During the design process, local residents helped develop ideas for the Sân Chơi Nỏ Thần playground. Photo courtesy of Think Playgrounds

HÀ NỘI — A playground for children will open in Đông Anh Town today with support of the European Union and the British Council (BC).

The project, Sân Chơi Nỏ Thần , or Magic CrossBow Playground, is implemented by the BC and the Việt Nam National Institute of Culture and Arts Studies.

The playground is built 5km from the ancient Cổ Loa Citadel with the magic crossbow legend that has been woven into the history of Vietnamese people.

“Ruins, history, legends of kings and his men, prince and princess, trust and betrayal, the rich history of Đông Anh is the source of  limitless inspiration,” said artist Trần Nguyễn Ưu Đàm who came up with the project’s artistic concept.

“We play to live a richer and more fulfilled life. The combination of those two ideas is the realisation of this Magic CrossBow playground.

“Life is a big playground where we are constantly moving in and out of history, living with, playing in, hiding and seeking in those ruins and myths,” said the artist.

The image of a giant Magic CrossBow in four parts scattered around like a ruin reflects the reality of Cổ Loa Citadel, parts hidden and parts visible at different places in the area.

When climbing in and out of the Magic Crossbow, the creators hope the history of the Âu Lạc Kingdom and its lessons will be kept alive.

This playground was created with the collaboration of Think Playgrounds Social Enterprise, artist Ưu Đàm,  the Đông Anh Women’s Union and the community of Neighbourhood 3 in Đông Anh Town.

During the design and construction process, local residents contributed their ideas.

They have also contributed financial resources and will manage the playground going forward.

Think Playgrounds builds playgrounds, community gardens and improving public spaces that are friendly and safe with communities throughout Việt Nam.

Since 2014, Think Playgrounds has built nearly 200 public playgrounds and community gardens and organised more than 30 campaign events to raise awareness of the community about the role of play for the comprehensive development of children. — VNS

Singer Thanh Lam plans a comeback via her live show “Hẹn Yeu”. Photo courtesy of nld.com.vn

HCM CITY — The local music market is coming back to life with multiple performances scheduled for music lovers across the country in March and April.

Many music stars such as Thanh Lam, Mỹ Tâm, Hà Anh Tuấn, Bằng Kiều and Mỹ Linh have released announcements about upcoming special shows and surprises for their fans.

“Hẹn Yêu” (Love date) is singer Thanh Lam’s live show, which will take place on March 21 at the Hà Nội Opera House. Thanh Lam told Người Lao Động (Labourer) newspaper that she is craving to sing after a long time away from the stage due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Musician Lưu Hà An, who is Hẹn Yêu’s music director, said the audience will be able to experience Thanh Lam’s “feelings during the most beautiful time of her life”.

Unlike her previous shows, Thanh Lam will not collaborate with musician Quốc Trung this time as he has been very busy.

This perhaps will create a “different” Thanh Lam, she said.

The announcement of singer Mỹ Tâm’s  latest show “Tri Âm” (Soulmate) on March 7 in HCM City and March 14 in Hà Nội surprised many people.

It has been a long time since Mỹ Tâm’s last show, and 10,000 tickets sold out immediately within one hour of opening for sale.

Mỹ Tâm said that this was her first show with participation of other artists. She said she wanted to thank her fans for always supporting her.

Songs from the album “Tâm 9” will be sung on stage, along with other big hits.

After news of Mỹ Tâm’s show was published, all of Mỹ Tâm’s albums topped the charts of the most downloaded albums on iTunes in Việt Nam.

Meanwhile, singer Hà Anh Tuấn has scheduled his show “The Veston Concert 2021” on April 2 and 3 in Đà Lạt City.

Breath of fresh air

The programme “The Master of Symphony” with the theme “The Rising Sun” take place on three days between March 3 and March 6 in HCM City’s Hòa Bình Theatre.

The show will include Mỹ Linh singing Dương Thụ’s songs, Bằng Kiều performing Thanh Tùng’s songs, Hồ Ngọc Hà singing Đức Trí’s songs and Hà Anh Tuấn singing Phan Mạnh Quỳnh’s songs.

The Master of Symphony has been held since 2015 and collaborations between musicians in the show have created many memorable moments.

According to experts, this show has created great inspiration for new music activities across the country and has become an annual cultural music venue loved by many music fans.

Meanwhile, Hà Nội Opera House on March 7 and 8 will host a music night called “Love Story” with musicians Trần Tiến and Thanh Tùng, together with singers Hà Trần, Bằng Kiều, Hồng Nhung and Quang Dũng.

Trần Tiến is very excited about the show and will introduce new songs written recently.

One of his new songs, called Không gục ngã (Don’t give up), will be presented in both hard rock and rock versions.

After a long break, the Vietnamese music market has finally rebooted. Producers have put a lot of effort to find sponsorships for big venues and have prepared flexible plans amid the COVID-19 pandemic. — VNS